Plastic material measuring and filling machine



April 1, 1930. w. A. COYTE 1,752,890

PLASTIC MATERIAL MEASURING AND FILLING MACHINE Filed April 8, 1926 2Sheets-Sheet l ff m I, I WQIJ MW WI M ii i 'I s: I

April 1, 1930. w. A. COYTE PLASTIC MATERIAL MEASURING AND FILLINGMACHINE Filed April 8. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 1, 1930UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE WILLIAM ARTHUR COYTE; OF LONDON, ENGLAND,ASSIGNOB TO J. LYONS .AND COM- PANY, LIMITED, "OF LONDON, ENGLANDPLASTIC MATERIAL MEASURING 'A'ND FILLING MACHINE.

Application filed April 8, 1926, Serial No. 100,759, and in GreatBritain. May 14, 1925.

This invention relates :to machines or apparatus for dividing ofiandpacking predetermined quantities of ice-creamer similarfilling'position, andsuch devices have been plastic material, and isconcerned particularly with the production of what-are known :asice-cream bricks.

The object of the invent-ionis to .provide an expeditious and hygienicmeans whereby portions of ice-cream are divided OE and delivered into alined box or case ready for subsequent freezing into ice-cream bricks.

Heretofore in carton and like filling machines in which the carton orcontainersare moved intermittently into filling position by endlesschain orother mechanism, it hasbeen proposed to provide the materialfeeding devices with stopping'mechanism having a releasing memberextending into the path of the carton or container so as to :be operatedonly when a carton or container-is moved into arranged to operate on thelever mechanism of pivoted or sliding covers of measuring devicesthrough which the material is 'fed tothe containers. It has also beenproposedto use similar'mechanism for stopping the machine when nocontainers are fed to filling position and also :to provide 'on similarmachines a device of the kindhaving a'measuring champ ber provided withoppositely sliding shutters at its ends so that when the upper one isopen the lower one is closed and vice versa when the material is fedinto the container.

The present invention comprises apparatus for dividing off and feedingpredetermined quantities of plastic material and having material feedingapparatus heldout of operation by controlling mechanism adapted tov beoperated by the passing of container into feeding position,characterized bythe material being fedby a cylinder of which thereciprocating plunger has continuously operated reciprocatingmechanism'adapted to be brought into operation .by such controllingmechanism. I

A machine according to my invention comprises essentially a hoppercontaining the ice-cream in bulk, an outlet from the hopper controlledby a valveland having means for feeding into delivery position ameasured quantity of ice-cream, a travelling belt or chain upon whichthe boxes or cases adapted to recelve the ice-cream are placed and whichpositively preventing the delivery'of the icecream unless a box is inposition to receive it and ensuring delivery when thebox is inpos1t1on.:

"In order that the details of construction and action of the inventionmay be more clearly understood, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure 1 1s a partly sectional side elevation andFigure 2 a partlyv sectional endelevation of the essential portions ofthe machine.

In the machine illustrated the mechanism is duplicated on its oppositesides so that the operations may be carried on simultaneously at bothsides of the machine.

In these drawings 2 isa hopper containing a plastic substance, in thepresent example say ice-cream mlxture required to be formed intoice-cream'bricks or blocks; The hopper 2 is provided with an outlet '3controlled by a rotary cylindrical valve 4. Theice-cream 'mounted on arocking shaft 6, the rocking shaft 6 being operated by a lever-8 and rod9 from any convenient crank eccentric or rocking lever on the machine.Thepaddle v Sbeinghinged to the lever? in such amanner that it is heldvertically and rigidly in the ice-cream mixture during movement towardsthe outlet 3 and is free to move about its pivot during the reversemovement. The boxes or cases which are indicated by the numeral 10aresmoved into and past the feeding position under'the valve 4 by anendless chain 11 which passes over a chain pulley 12 at each endof themachine. pulley 12 is given an intermittent feedmovement by means of aratchet wheel 13 keyed to the shaft 14 carrying the chain pulley 12 andoperatedby a pawl 14: carried by a rockxing lever 15 of which the end 16is connected by a link-17, lever 18 and a rod 19 to an eccentric 20driven from a power driven shaft The chain 21, the lever 18 beingrockingly mounted on a shaft 73. The shaft 21 is provided with a chainwheel 22 by which it may be driven from any suitable source of powersuch as an electric motor.

The cylindrical delivery valve 4 is rotatively mounted in a casing 23fixed under the hopper 2 to a bracket 24 secured to the standard 25 ofthemaehine. The valve 4 is providedwith a spur wheel 26 of which theteeth mesh with those of a quadrant 27 provided with a lever extension28 and pivoted on a shaft 29. The endof the lever 28 is connected byarod 30 and link 31 to a lever 32 mounted at the other end on a rockshaft 33 mounted in a bearing bracket 34 secured to thestandard of themachine. a The lever 32 is provided with a roller 35 running on a cam 36secured tothe shaft 21, and also with a rod 70 to the end of which isfixed one end of a spring 71 the other end of the spring being fixed toa bracket 72 on the shaft 73, the spring 71 tending to hold the roller35 on the cam 36.

he cylindrical valve 4 is in the form of a hollow sleeve having a port37 adapted to register with the outlet opening 3 of the hopper 2 when inreceiving position and is also provided with a port38 adapted toregister with a valve delivery outlet 39 when rotated by the spur wheel26 and quadrant 27 to discharging position. I Vithin the cylindricalvalve 4 is a plunger 40 of which the rod 41 is adapted-to be operated bytrip pawls or pushers 43and944 pivotally connected to a rocking lever 42whereby it is reciprocated in such a manner that the charge of ice-creamdrawn into the valve 4 when the ports 37 and 3 are inregister will onthe return stroke of the plunger be forced thereby through the ports 38and 39 when in register and so be delivered into the box 10 moved intofeeding position immediately below the port 39.

. The plunger operating lever 42 rocks on a shaft 45 fixed inbosses 46on the main frame of the machine and the lower end of the leverspectively, these abutments being fixed on the rod 41 of the plunger 40.

The pawl 743is held normally above the abutment 50 by trip mechanismreleasable when a box 10 is "in position immediately under the feedvalve 4 sothat should nobox be in the feeding position the ice-creamfeedingumechanism'is inoperative. This mechanism consists of a feeler51, movable laterally in and out of the path of the boxes 10 by -'a rod52 pivoted to a lever 53rocking on a .p1vot54, the feeler 51 being heldnormally in the path ofthe receptacles by the weight of the lever 53,the distributionof the material of this lever being slightly unbalancedfor this purpose so that when the feeler has moved out of such path andreleased it will return automatically to its normal position, thismovement may be assisted by a spring. The lower end of the lever 53 isprovided with a hook or catch portion adapted to hold up the end 56 ofthe lever 32 so that the roller 35 can be out of operative engagementwith the cam 36 when there is no box in the feeding position, when,however, a box 10 is moved into feeding position its side engages thefeeler 51 and pushes the rod 52 outwards sufliciently to tilt thelever-53 about its pivot 54 to such an extent as to draw the hook 55from under the end 56 of the lever 32 and so release the roller 35 andenable it to be operated by thecam 36. The lever 32 is provided with aportion 57 extending beyond its rock shaft 33 and linked by a rod 58 toone end of a bell-crank lever 59 pivoted at 60 to the rocking lever 42,the other end of the bell-crank plunger operating abutment 50 and soallows the feeding plunger 40 to be operated by the rocking lever 42. r

a A lining is preferably placed in the box on its way to the feedingposition, and in the operation of the machine an operator places a boxbetweentwo angle members 62 forming between them a guide way having acentral space in which projections fixed at intervals on the chain 11extend to engage a side of the box and carry it along the guide way. Themain flaps forming the cover of the box are bent outwards to the openposition and held there while passing under guide rods 64 and 65 whichextend a sufiicient distance along the guide way to ensure them beingheld out of thewayand keep the box fully open duringthe feedingoperation.

The lined box is held by the intermittent mechanismiuntil it reachesfilling position,

and while passing into such position engages thefeeder 51'tooperate thetrip mechanism setting into operation the valve rotating and plungermechanism as described above.

During such operation a charge of icecreamis drawn from the hopper 2 bythe plunger 40 through the ports 3 and 37 into the cylindrical valve 4,the valve is then rotated by the quadrant 27 to shut ofi the port 3.andopen the port 39, whereupon the plunger 4() is moved inwards and forcesout the ice-cream composition through the ports 38 and 39 into the box10.

. Theubox is thenconveyed by the chain 11 to the delivery end of themachine where it is removed and closed by another operator and thenconveyed to a freezing room where it is converted into a hard ice-creambrick.

By means of the foregoing, ice-cream bricks of given size can beexpeditiously ma do and packed without the hands of the operator evercoming in contact with them.

What I clalm and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Apparatus fordividing OE and feeding measured quantities of plastic material intoreceptacles, comprising means for feeding the receptacles mto fillingposition intermittently and dellvering them therefrom after filling, ameasuring cylinder having a reciprocating feeding plunger, acontinuously oscillating member, means for placing the oscillatingmember into the path of the feeding plunger to drive the same and meansfor holding the latter means out of operation until a receptacle hasbeen fed into filling position. I v

2; Apparatus for dividing 01f and'feeding measured quantities of plasticmaterial into rece tacles com risin means for feedin 7 b thereceptaclesinto filling position intermittently and delivering themtherefrom after filling, a measuring cylinder having a recip rocatingfeeding plunger, a continuously oscillating member, a pivoted pawl,lever mechanism for moving the pawl into the path of the feeding plungerto drive the same, means for returning the feeding plunger,

' mechanism for transmitting movement from a receptacle to the pawl, thepawl being pivoted on the oscillating member and the pawl intermittentlyinto filling position and delivering them therefrom after filling, ameasuring cylinder having a reciprocating feeding plunger, acontinuously oscillating lever, carrying a pivoted pawl movable into thepath of the feeding plunger, lever mechanism for moving the pawl intothe path of the feeding plunger, means for returning the feedingplunger, a reciprocating feeler normally extending transversely into theguide way into the path of the receptacles at filling position andmovable therefrom by a receptacle, the mechanism for moving the pawlinto the path of the feeding plunger being operated by the feeler whenmoved out of the path of the receptacles by one of the receptacles as itis fed into filling position, and

- the means for returning the feeding plunger being operated '%by thecontinuously oscillating'lever.

4:. Apparatus for dividing off and feeding measuredquantities ofplasticmaterial into "receptacles, comprlsmg a guide-way andunllQlIIlliI-tlltlff operated mechanism for feeding the receptacles intofilling position and delivering them therefrom after filling, ameasuring cylinder having a reciprocating plunger, a continuouslyoscillating member, a reciprocating feeler normally extendmgtransversely intothe guide-way at filling ;position, a cam, a leveroperated thereby, acatch lever linked at one end to-the reciprocatingfeeler and provided at its other-end with a catch normally holding thesaidcam operated lever away from the;c'a-m but removable therefrom bythe feeler whenengaged by a receptacle, and means actuated by the saidcam operated lever to place the oscillating member in the path of thefeeding drive the same. I

5. Apparatus for dividing off and feeding measured quantities of plasticmaterial into receptacles, comprising a guide-way and a means forfeeding the receptacles'into, filling position and delivering themtherefrom after fill1ng,a measuring cyl nder having areciprocatingfeeding plunger, a continuously oscillating lever carrying a1 bell-cranklever and a pawl movablethereby into the path of the feeding plunger todrive the same, means for returning the feeding plunger, a cam, an

oscillating lever actuated thereby, a catchy lever and a feeler heldthereby normally'into the path of the receptacles, the catch of thelever being arranged to hold the said cam operated oscillating levernormally out of contact with the cam, and connected by link plunger tomechanism to the bell crank lever on the con- Y tinuously oscillatinglever so as to hold the pawl out of engagement with the feeding plungerwhen the cam operated lever is held by the catch lever and allow thepawl to engage the feeding plunger when the catch 7- receptacles,comprising means for feeding the V receptacles into filling positionintermittently and delivering them therefrom after fill ing, a measuringcylinder having a reciprocating feeding plunger, a continuouslyoscillating lever, two oppositely disposed pivoted pawls carried by thecontinuously oscillating lever one for efiecting the feed and the otherthe return movement of the plunger, and lever and link mechanism formoving the feeding pawl into feeding position, the lever and linkmechanism for moving the feeding pawl into feeding position beingoperated by a receptacle moving into filling position. I

7. Apparatus for dividing off and feeding measured quantities of plasticmaterial into receptacles, comprising a guide-Way and intermittentlyoperated mechanism for feeding the receptacles into filling position anddelivering them therefrom after filling, a

measuring cylinder having a reciprocating plunger, a continuouslyoscillating lever, two oppositely disposed pivoted pawls carried by thecontinuously oscillating lever one for effecting the feed and the otherthe return the guide-way at filling position, a cam, a

movement of the plunger, a reciprocating feeler normally extendingtransversely lnto lever operated thereby, a catch lever, the catch leverbeing linked at one end to the reciprocating feeler and provided at itsother end with a catch normally holding the cam operated lever away fromthe cam but removable therefrom by the feeler when enaged byareceptacle, and means actuated by the cam operated lever for causingthe oscillating lever to engage the pawls with the feeding plunger.

In witness whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM ARTHUR COYTE.

